Bastyr Platinum Project Gets Top Award

Bastyr University's new student village was named Outstanding Multifamily Project of 2010 by the USGBC. Located north of Seattle in Kenmore, the 11-building project was designed by CollinsWoerman and earned LEED Platinum certification. It's estimated to save about 34% on energy costs, as compared to a non-green, similar project, and houses 132 students.

With a total of 50,303 square feet, this is the first LEED Platinum student housing project on the West Coast. During construction, a total of 97% of construction waste was diverted from the landfill.

The USGBC cited several areas of exemplary performance, including the elimination of unnecessary space, use of butterfly roofs to capture rainwater, use of locally-sourced FSC-certified woods, and the incorporation of a permaculture teaching garden with edible and medicinal plants.

The construction budget was $16.5 million, but only $12 million was used. Money was saved with smaller living units and four rounds of budgeting and value engineering -- an impressive feat indeed.

Specific products used include CertainTeed weatherboards and lap siding, Knauf EcoBatt insulation, LG HI-MACS counters, Lynden Door GreenDor doors, Gerber bathroom sinks, MAAX Professional showers, Delta fixtures, Kohler kitchen fittings, Sherwin Williams low-VOC paints, Pella windows, and Spero Eco-wise mouldings and boards.